


Memento Mori

by ForceCommanderJoe



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Drama, Gen, Mute Neopolitan (RWBY), POV First Person, Self-Reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 22:36:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20071738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForceCommanderJoe/pseuds/ForceCommanderJoe
Summary: Sometimes, the difficult part about moving on from loss is forgetting that the lost person was there.





	Memento Mori

"Neopolitan, huh? Sounds like a good name for you kid..."

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At least, that's what I remember being named growing up. It was a lot catchier than being yet another young street urchin with noticeable pink hair. Or was it dull pink? Whatever shade it was when I was little, my lack of bathing back in the slums didn't make me look very impressionable. Not that I cared at the time. I wasn't really privileged compared to the woman you see today. 

You may notice from what I'm about to tell you is that I don't have a very clear recollection of when I was a child. Yeah, well, you'd be right. My earliest memory off the top of my cute little head was when I was seven and meeting my future boss. My partner. My best friend. 

I couldn't stop replaying the image in my head on that night. That prissy little bitch in the red hood. Silver Eyes. How she pitifully hung to the deck of Atlas Carrier Blue 4 with that scythe of hers, and how she sent me flying off into the horizon with my parasol.

And then he was gone.

I can't remember the last time I slept without waking to the image of Roman calling my name in terror as I flew off to what looked like certain death. One of his last words before being swallowed whole by a Griffon. Once again, I was alone in my life. One of the last sights I saw as I was sent adrift into Valean waters just outside of the kingdom were explosions coming from the Beacon campus. 

Probably the students fighting off the Paladin-290 mech. The Grimm were especially persistent even if evacuation forces from the other kingdoms were disembarking to help refugees escape. 

And before that I was picked up by a Mistral convoy as an overboard refugee that I disguised myself as just in time, my last sight before I blacked out was the Wyvern that popped out from Mountain Glenn roosting on top of Beacon Tower.

I awoke to the far away sight of Beacon Academy completely abandoned, the dragon petrified in stone and downtown Vale in pieces. And although it was a hard sight to make out with me having just woken up from nearly drowning at the time, I swore I saw the rural and village areas just outside the city catching fire. 

Was it worth it? Because I hope you're proud of yourself, Cinder.

Cinder.

As much as I wanted to see Ruby Rose meet the end of my dagger, my biggest bone to pick was with that fire-spewing freak in the red dress. Claiming that Roman and I would live like royalty once her plan went through. 

Bullshit! She was in it for herself. Whoever this Salem is, I'd like to see her try and send another one of her toadies after me. Because I would love to send a clear warning that I'm no longer Cinder's bootlick. I refuse to obey this Grimm bitch as well.

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What I remember about the Mistral evac boat I rode on was how quiet it was. Occasionally on the trip we found ourselves having to exchange with convoys from the other Kingdoms to lighten our load so as not to cause more hassle with some of the refugees. Everyone was so shocked and sickened at the Grimm managing to break through the perimeter at Mountain Glenn that there was really nothing to say. Who could blame them? 

I had no problem with this. Given how Grimm are attracted negative to emotions it was best that we be quiet to begin with. The only other voices we heard were women and children crying asking where their families were. Or Huntsmen who were manned on guard duty trying not to break down at seeing students in danger for being lucky enough to survive this long.

"They're just kids." They would frequently mutter.

Others included soldiers who were appropriately shell-shocked at the sight of seeing their buddies drop like flies and would curl up into a ball or just stare off into the sea.

On the other hand it was weird being onboard here given that I am mute. Gave me more time to collect my thoughts. The ones that helped me reflect before we helped turn Vale into a killing field anyway. Not like I had much to say in return to these poor sods since I wanted to get to a warm bed and a place that resembled a house. An inn, a motel, wherever.

The Manila Sea looked beautiful this season, all things considered. I'll admit, I never thought I'd see the oceans of Remnant under these circumstances. It took some effort for me to filter out some of the noises of a crowded ship, but it's better than looking around to see people robbed of their homes and their innocence.

The guards gave me looks of sympathy that I would return with a nod. And the Captain offered to let me rest in his cabin. I silently thanked him for his offer figuring there'd be some mutiny among the survivors arguing that I was privileged and that the skipper would have to shield me. So I declined.

The children found me to be really cool and pretty despite my cavalier silent treatment to most of the survivors. I remember several parents thanking me for being so patient with how fidgety their kids were in a time of crisis. So it seemed that I was setting some of them at ease. 

What about Hunters-in-training? They're teenagers, so what about them, you ask?

Well, Roman made it very clear that Academy Students were fair game for being roughed up. Given how they could present a threat to our operations. But for his class A personality type that many folks gathered about him, he drew the line at harming little kids. Any classy mob boss like the ones you saw in the movies had some ethics that way, right? 

I guess I had some sympathy for the kids on this boat since I wasn't so lucky when I was a girl. Sure as hell helped kill time on the trip to Mistral, so beggars can't be choosers. If I'm recalling that old phrase right.

Now I know what you're about to remind me: "Neopolitan. It seems you have a hard time remembering certain things." Why yes. Yes I do, person to inevitably theorize about me. That's the thing. Since my earliest memory is being adopted by Roman when I was searching for scraps among one of his old strongholds, I feel like I've misplaced a lot of the others from when I was little. But another issue, I've always had problems with my vocal cords. The earliest memory I've had is of them being permanently damaged when I was 4.

So I've been giving people the silent treatment since then. Not in the usual sense of bullying or trying to piss someone off. But...You know.

I did get used to it over time, considering that I've relied on body language all my life. I didn't have to get in trouble for making a speechless threat or insult towards someone. Probably due to how I found a new home with Roman and how he shielded and coddled me for most of my childhood. That being said, he did scold me but never let me go. Never told me to go back out into the slums.

And therein lied the cause of why I want Ruby and Cinder dead. Cinder roped us into the Vytal massacre, and Ruby lured Roman to his death. The only memento I have left of him is his bowler hat. I would sometimes go to sleep wearing it, shielding my eyes. It helped me get noticed less on the boat. 

But it still wasn't enough when I would wake up to nightmares of Roman shouting "Neo!" before his rant to Ruby about how to lie, steal, cheat and survive while she was going on about determination, how she was gonna stop her, blah blah blah.

I always woke up in a cold sweat on the boat with my eyes turning white. Which always indicated fear and that I was outmatched. Definitely told me to get the hell out of the train in Mountain Glenn. I never let the other refugees get a look at me and hide in the storage deck. But some of the kids would find me sobbing. Relatively speaking. Since the parents were a little wary of me I gave the children the benefit of the doubt, let them tell me "It's okay, Miss." While they pat me on the shoulder/back or shared some of their rations.

Among other naive, childish reassurances. But hey. I couldn't really blame them since they were trying their best to be brave in the face of uncertainty with us being Grimm bait. So good on them.

Eventually, we got several armed escorts. Which led to a standoff in the Eastern Manila with sailors who were claiming to be White Fang. But they eventually stood down and let us pass into Anima. A Mistral naval officer eventually came by and investigated that these guys were part of a training exercise which was caught in an awkward moment during the refugee passage. The faux Fang members were reprimanded and assigned to crosswalk duty.

I guess an escalating world war scenario will do that to some folks. With everyone blaming Atlas for taking part in the massacre, everybody was a little paranoid as to what would happen next.

All I knew was, I was glad to finally find a new home before I could plan my vengeance against Cinder and Ruby.

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I sat in the shower in tears earlier today, being reminded of how those kids on board had been like me once. Homeless, hungry, no running water or a bed to speak of. They stopped by because the criminal outfit I was currently hanging out with was giving passage to safety to the families since the Mistralian government wasn't doing a damn thing to manage them properly.

The Spider Syndicate.

More specifically, "Spiders" under Lil' Miss Malachite's command.

Out of all the outfits that me and Roman have done business with, this had arguably one of the catchiest concepts. Apparently Lil' Miss used to be afraid of spiders. But she overcame that by commanding her own collective of henchmen who were given a spider tattoo and would be under her orders. All of their hideouts were marked with that spider in it's web. And most everybody knew when to steer clear.

"But Neo." You ask me again. "Why would they help these kids out? They have no business with their families."

Wrong.

Lil' Miss found a bit of profit in helping them find safe passages when the Mistrali government could have been busy negotiating with the other Kingdoms and their Councils as to what the next move would be without making General Ironwood assume it would be a provocation in light of Blue 4 getting shot down and crashing in Downtown Vale. And the Model-130 Knight droids getting jacked by the Black Queen virus and turning civilians into target practice.

Besides, with one of the Academies in ruins along with the Vale CCTS being a tower of smolders, how else were these people gonna find sanctuary? It did make a bit of Lien for one thing. Some families were so poor and so shit-out-of-luck on protection payment that more often than not, Lil' Miss and her Tarantulas -- her advisors in the Syndicate -- decided to let them go for free. Even if it would take a sledgehammer to the outfit's profits.

Then there was me.

I didn't leave my apartment in the inn where the Spiders were headquartered. Well, not often. The most I would come out was to get food. Or watch the news feeds to see what was up around Mistral. Then we would have meetings to discuss synergy and meet with other criminal groups. Basically what I used to do with Roman's outfit.

With all the chaos happening on this rock, it was nice to have a routine again. But I still missed Roman. I fell into the routine of sleeping without wearing his bowler hat, but have it next to my pillow as I slept. Or on the nightstand. It still hurt to wake up and not see him wearing it, given how he and I lived like royalty at one point. Eventually, Lil' Miss got through my barriers and heard my story as I spelled it out for her. I was expecting her to take pity on me rather than sympathy.

Instead, she gave a bit of both. Admitting that she wasn't really a fan of the way he conducted things and how vain she thought he was. But then admitting that she was sorry for my loss.

I'll admit, given how I was living on my own for about five weeks since Beacon went bye-bye, I wasn't expecting such words. And I was too tired to cry or get angry, so there was really no point in trying to defend him. Except I agreed. I loved Roman dearly, but even I thought that his ego was a bit tiresome sometimes. You could say that I was keeping him in check while he was boasting about his latest scheme and such.

Either way, while it was nice to find work and shelter again I needed to plan to strike back on Little Red and Flame Bitch over here some time. Last I heard, there was trouble brewing in the wildlands outside of Mistral. Talk of bandit and Grimm activity getting scattered due to Huntress interference. Which could mean only one thing.

Ruby and her friends were here.


End file.
